Broager Church

Facts

The tallest wooden bell tower in Denmark

Broager Church in South Jutland has a Romanesque nave and choir. The broad west tower has two tall spires and may have been built as early as the Romanesque period. The chapel and vestry are Gothic-style and the whole church is built of bricks. The churchyard has the tallest wooden bell tower in Denmark, which dates back to 1650. The church itself is decorated with lovely murals from various periods. The late-Gothic murals in the eastern vault of the nave and north chapel are the most eye-catching. The chapel's paintings depict the legend of St George killing the dragon, and his martyrdom. These pictures, together with the late medieval carved wooden figure of the dragon slayer, which is as tall as a man, formed the setting for the chapel's Saint George cult.

Public place

Selected entry

Bells toll for young and old

Story written by Peter Pentz

Time / Periode 1200 1250

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Death tolls or soul tolls" played a major role in the Middle Ages. Their purpose was to call the residents of the parish to pray for the dead. The tolls were repeated seven and 13 days after death occurred and on the anniversary of the death. Broager Church had detailed rules for ringing the bells. A report written in 1863 explains how the three bells at Broager Church once rang for those of the parish who died. If the dead person was less than eight to ten years of age, the smallest bell was rung. The medium-sized bell for those who were older than ten but still not confirmed. And the largest bell rang if the dead person had been confirmed. Churches throughout Denmark also rang bells according to the age of the dead person. But the churches in neighbouring Sweden and Finland rang according to the person's sex. "